If you have a newer house in Alice, it was likely built with energy efficiency in mind. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these advances are good for keeping your energy bills reasonable, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting enough filtration. This kind only gives the lowest level of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your heating and cooling system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, even more so if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide strong filtration around your home. Depending on the kind you select, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite solutions from Lennox, an industry leader in air purification.
Best Air Purifiers from Lennox
1. HEPA Air Purifiers
A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, gives top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first developed to shield scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical facilities.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration method. A prefilter draws larger irritants before the HEPA filter catches remaining smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily integrates with your smart home. It combats the three leading varieties of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and eradicates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it easy to keep up. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be installed with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are made in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating measures how good filters are at trapping contaminants. The higher the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for homes who are looking for enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a great air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It traps more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this strong filtration without driving up the price of turning on your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s critical to be aware that some of the thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can hike up your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a stinging sunburn. But this kind of light has a useful application when placed in your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating across your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and operating efficiently. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden within ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without producing lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your family’s comfort and health matters to us at Rescue Heating & Air. We know there are many possibilities out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to collaborate with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in making solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality challenges. Give us a call at 361-265-4371 now to start the process.
1Based on laboratory and field studies.
2PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.
3Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.
4Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.
5Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.
6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.